Swansea v Leicester Preview (21/10/2017)

After last weeks result the Swans should be in good spirits. Tammy Abraham's brace against Huddersfield secured the 2-0 home victory. Pushing Swansea into 13th place, they now look a little more comfortable.

The return of Ki Seung-Yeung was also a positive as the Korean was applauded as he stepped back onto the pitch for the first time this season. Even though Swansea won 2-0 they only had 40% possession. Showing that you don't need the ball all the time to be able to win the game.

Now on eight points, Swansea look to push on from where they are. Back to back wins would be welcomed and the next fixture is at home to a struggling Leicester side. With Craig Shakespeare shown the door, Michael Appleton has now taken the caretaker managerial role. The Foxes haven't won in their last three games and Swansea will want to take advantage.

Leicester have no new injuries but Robert Huth and Matty James are still out. For the Swans, Renato Sanches will be a slight doubt due to a thigh strain and also Wilfried Bony with a hamstring injury. Hopefully the duo can recover in time for the weekend. Kyle Bartley is the only other injury Swansea have. He won't be back until December.

So it looks like a good bit of news for Paul Clement as Sanches and Bony may be back available for selection. If they do recover in time, the boss will have plenty of options heading into the game at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.

It will be more likely that the Swans boss will opt for the 4-3-1-2 formation that worked against Huddersfield last week. Depending on players possibly returning from injuries there could be a number of changes from last fixtures starting XI. However, Clement will not want to mess around with tactics too much as he will want to keep things pretty much the same if he wants to pick up another win.

Swansea have a good bit of momentum heading into this game with Leicester as the Foxes have drawn their last two games against West Brom and Bournemouth. This could be a perfect chance for Swansea to kick Leicester while they are down. Harsh it may seem but it's every team for themselves in the Premier League.

I'm going to go for a 2-1 Swans victory even though Leicester will be fighting. With that said, Swansea will be in a positive mood so they should find the flow of the game easier at home.

Swansea v Huddersfield Preview (14/10/2017)

Now the international break is over, we can all return our attention back to the Premier League. It hasn't been the best of starts for the lads as Swansea sit inside the relegation zone. With just five points from seven games played there is definitely much tweaking needed to be done.

Last outing's loss to West Ham shed a little more light on how tricky some fixtures can be despite Diafra Sakho getting the late winner. The deficits aren't even that bad it's just getting the results that is the problem at the moment. Paul Clement will obviously be speaking individually with each player on how he wants them to play this weekend against Huddersfield.

With a team like Huddersfield coming to town you would expect the Swans to at least get some sort of result. The Terriers started off their campaign fantastically with two wins against Crystal Palace and Newcastle. But since then, David Wagner's men haven't won a single match. They have only picked up three points from their last five matches and only one of them was away.

Looking at Huddersfield's records, this fixture should be a fantastic opportunity to take advantage of. But that is easier said than done. With the game being at the Liberty Stadium, there should be a home crowd urging the lads on in what is surely a winnable fixture.

If Swansea want to pick up points soon, now is the perfect time. There are no new injury problems and Ki Sung-Yeung will be a major doubt due to fitness but that is good news that we know he will be back soon. Obviously, Kyle Bartley is still out with his knee ligament injury. Ruling him out until the middle of November.

Huddersfield are expecting Colin Quaner and Steve Mounie to return from injuries but will still have a few players missing. Daniel Williams is expected to be out for another week with a fractured foot while Kasey Palmer and Michael Hefele won't be back until the middle of November. Jon Stankovic is also still out with an ACL knee injury sustained in March. He still has no return date set.

With the injury list Huddersfield have and this fixture being played at home, we should be looking at a Swansea side that can take advantage. If not there will be some serious questions asked. Huddersfield have shown their weakness lately and I think Swansea will edge them with a 1-0 victory at the Liberty Stadium this Saturday.

West Ham v Swansea Preview (30/09/2017)

Heading into the weekend, Swansea face another task in the Premier League this season. The lads will be travelling to the all-new, London Stadium this Saturday. Facing West Ham will be a tough test as no win in three games means results are needed sooner rather than later.

Last week's 2-1 loss at home to Watford wasn't ideal and focusing on the game ahead is key. Any form of result would be welcomed as the Premier League is starting to take its shape. With that being said, it is still quite open. Five points only separate 19th up to 11th place.

If you are thinking Swansea might not get anything against West Ham, think again. In their three Premier League away games this season they are unbeaten. A 0-0 draw at Southampton, a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace and a 0-0 draw at Tottenham.

Continuing an away form would be ideal against West Ham and Paul Clement will hope his squad will put in a good performance as well.

Nathan Dyer may be in contention to make a comeback into the squad after he appeared for the under 23's last week in a 3-1 defeat to Man City. The winger played 58 minutes after returning from a long-term ruptured Achilles tendon injury. He had been out since February and is hoping to make the squad this Saturday.

Kyle Bartley is still out until October with a ruptured knee ligament. Ki Sung-Yeung is expected to return from his knee injury but will likely feature for the under 23's this weekend against Celtic on his return to full fitness.

West Ham will be without Michail Antonio, James Collins and Manuel Lanzini through various injuries. Pedro Obiang and Edimilson Fernandes will be major doubts which Swansea will want to take advantage of this Saturday.

With the away form, it should be at least an interesting game from the neutral but the Swans need to pick up those crucial points when needed. 

The League Cup draw and Swans v Watford Preview (23/09/2017)

The away win on Tuesday night was a great result from the lads as they headed into the last 16 of the League Cup. Goals from Alfie Mawson and Jordan Ayew sealed the 2-0 win at the Madejski Stadium.

Now into the next stage, Paul Clement will be aware of the side arriving at the Liberty Stadium on the 24th October. Manchester United. A huge draw for the club as there is a chance of redemption considering what happened a while back. We don't want to be reminded.

With Watford arriving at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday, there is a chance for Wilfried Bony to make his first team start this season. We're pretty sure Swans fans will be singing his popularized "Come on Wilfried Bony" song. It would mean the world to him and all Swansea fans if he could get himself on the scoresheet this weekend.

There will be no new injury worries ahead of this weekend's fixture. Nathan Dyer will face a late fitness test after suffering an Achilles injury. Paul Clement will pretty much have a full-strength squad as we look forward to a winnable game.

Watford did recently suffer at the hands of Man City last weekend 6-0 so it should be a good sign. They were unbeaten but Pep Guardiola's side may have knocked their confidence. It would be a perfect time to play Watford, especially at home.

Marco Silva's side have a few injury problems but two players will be slight doubts in returning this weekend. Kiko Femenia has been out with a head injury and Sebastian Prodl with a hamstring problem. Both players are 50/50 in being available to play on Saturday.

Mauro Zarate, Younes Kaboul, Craig Cathcart and Tommie Hoban will all still be unavailable. That is something Swansea fans would rather hear but the job needs to be done on Saturday. Whether it's a scrappy game or very close. The three points need to be certain and a game against a Watford side right now shows the potential of a possible victory.

A win at home would be great but a goal for the returning Wilfried Bony would be something in the script. We hope that it can be a perfect day at the Liberty Stadium.

Spurs v Swansea Preview (16/9/2017)

If last Sunday's defeat to Newcastle was upsetting, it's hard to consider how to feel going into Spurs away.

On one hand, it's going to be lovely to return to Wembley again!

On the other hand, an aggregate loss of 8-1 to them last season and six successive losses when travelling to Tottenham won't fill anyone with much confidence.

The team news is that Nathan Dyer, Ki Sung-Yueng and Kyle Bartley are all missing again, while Oli McBurnie travels after his loan move to Barnsley fell through.

Paul Clement has confirmed that Wilfried Bony is still not fit to start after featuring for the Under 23's on Monday - he will be on the bench on Saturday.

Clement said: "He [Bony] played 63 minutes, scored a goal and showed his leadership qualities. Now it's about getting that match sharpness."

Swans fans have been urged to back Renato Sanches despite an ineffective debut last weekend. Sanches could feature in the midfield with Leon Britton and Roque Mesa this weekend, who have been tipped to return - though Sam Clucas should also start.

Spurs will be missing Victor Wanyama, Danny Rose, Erik Lamela and Georges-Kevin N'Koudou, which could limit the hosts.

Let us pray for something a little less glum this weekend. Like a Swans goal, for example.

In all seriousness, the defence has been pretty steady and a packed-out midfield could give us a bit of hope. Spurs are also a bit shaky at Wembley, though they did win midweek. I'll go for a very optimistic 1-1 draw.

Swans v Newcastle Preview (10/9/17)

The Swans completed a hectic transfer deadline day by replacing the outgoing Fernando Llorente and Gylfi Sigurdsson with Wilfried Bony and Renato Sanches, but these two signings must adapt quickly to ensure Paul Clement's side aren't facing another relegation battle.

Needless to say, the Jack Army know how much of a loss Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente could be. At £45m, Sigurdsson is clearly a very talented player and his 9 goals and 13 assists will be sorely missed. Llorente is a Spain international who scored 15 goals in his first Premier League season.

But the past is now in the past and Swansea must learn to cope without two players who rightfully saw their future at a higher standard.

Wilfried Bony has returned following a dreadful season with Stoke City, scoring 2 goals in 10 appearances and being outcast for the full second half of the season after a fallout with Mark Hughes. Many will have doubts about his pricetag and ability to replace Llorente, but it's important to consider that Llorente was arriving on the back of two very poor seasons with Juventus and Sevilla respectively. We've seen the raw ability Bony has to offer, scoring 17 back in 2013/14, and the Jack Army must remain confident that Clement can unlock that ability once again.

Renato Sanches has arrived on the back of a season coming off the bench for Bayern Munich. Naturally, some will assume that is because he's not good enough. But it's very important to remember that he had Xabi Alonso, Thiago Alcantara and Arturo Vidal ahead of him in Munich. This a Golden Boy winner we're talking about here - previous winners include Anthony Martial, Raheem Sterling, Paul Pogba and Isco. This isn't a player arriving off the back of a solitary good season in the lower leagues - this is an influential European Championship winner at the age of just 18.

Should Paul Clement motivate these potentially great players, Swansea should be looking up rather than down. With Newcastle at home approaching this weekend, it's crucial that we see some signs that these players can adapt quickly.

The Toon have just three points out of three games so far, one less than the Swans. Their away match at Huddersfield resulted in a poor performance and a dismal 1-0 loss and, considering a less equipped Swans side picked up three points away at Crystal Palace before the international break, the Jack Army should be confident of taking three points on Sunday.

Swansea have won 6 out of 10 home league matches since Clement took charge, with 1 draw and 3 losses. Those 3 losses came against top 6 sides (Spurs, Arsenal and Man United) and 2 of those 3 wins came against bottom half sides.

Is it too early to claim this game could define the season? A win here would be a statement - a relegation battle isn't on the agenda. I truly believe the Swans will win this game and it could be a huge win to build on. I'll take a punt on a 2-0 home win on Sunday.

Time and investment is key for the Swans

Heading into the Newcastle game this weekend, Swansea feel as though the upcoming game is very winnable. After the recent 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace there should be an edge of momentum that can be lifted by the recent signings made by the club.

With the departures of Sigurdsson, Llorente and Cork making up the majority of income from this summers' transfer window, just under £78m has seen it's way into the club. As for players coming in, loanee's such as Renato Sanches and Tammy Abraham have cost just over £8m for the season.

Permanent signings include Roque Mesa, Sam Clucas and the returning Wilfried Bony have cost the club just over £50m. A profit of around £20m dealt with by Paul Clement can be seen as a bit of an investment. However, if some of the profited transfer money is invested it can take some time in effect of what the club is inspired to do with the money.

In this day and age £20m does not seem like a lot in the Premier League but if pumped back into a club like Swansea it could be a real benefit. With transfers obviously dealt with for at least another four months there can be many various examples of where some of the money can go.

Being in the Premier League has potential to use profits in many different ways. Improving club facilities. Investing in coaches and scouts. Investing more into youth set ups. If used correctly the investments can be a long-term plan and the rewards would be great.

But for now, long-term plans are not the focus for Paul Clement and the Swans as there are jobs to be done right now. Those jobs include getting the vital points when needed. With Newcastle travelling to the Liberty Stadium this weekend it will not be an easy game.

The Magpies will also be on a high after their 3-0 victory over West Ham but come Sunday they will be put to the test. The introduction of Sanches and Bony should lift Swansea's urgency in the game whether they start or come off the bench. It is important how they will be used this weekend to ensure all three points are taken.

The game on Sunday should have a good atmosphere as fans will be in the mood relishing for the win. Urgency will be key and that is what will get the Liberty Stadium rocking. Getting in front of Newcastle this weekend would also be a sign of greater things to come.

Food for thought after frenetic Swans deadline day

At the end of a long, long 24 hours, we can categorically say that Swansea City are in a much healthier position than they were heading into the transfer window.

This time last season, barely-known marquee signing Borja Baston had arrived for a club-record fee. Fast forward to now and we've got a real star in our hands for a year at the very least with Tammy Abraham. And it cost nothing! His first goal came against Palace last weekend and he's clearly got a great deal of potential.

Fernando Llorente worked out an absolute treat last summer and his goals were huge last season, but swapping him for a younger, equally proven Premier League goalscorer and Swans hero in Wilfried Bony should send us wild, wild wild all over again. The Swans have two fantastic choices to lead their forward line again.

Needless to say that a lack of strength or depth in the centre of the park was a real concern. Here we are now with Roque Mesa, Sam Clucas, Tom Carroll, Leroy Fer, Ki Sung-yueng, Leroy Fer, Golden Boy Renato bloody Sanches and Leon. Outstanding work has been done in this department.

Question marks for the season DO still remain in the defence. The sale of Stephen Kingsley leaves no reserve at left back/left wing-back, while a deal for Santiago Arias at right back never materialised and no central defenders arrived other than the return of Kyle Bartley. Clement has made the current Swans defence into a solid force, but quality recruits and depth is still a slight concern.

Equally, there's worries over creativity. The mercurial Gylfi Sigurdsson was at the heart of everything for Swans last season and everybody knew it. Everton saw fit to spend £45m on the Icelandic heartthrob with good reason. The signing of Nacer Chadli would've offered significant threat and creativity from the flanks, where options are clearly lacking.

Hopefully the wing-backs in the new 3-5-2 formation can stay fit AND continue to get involved on the offence as they did at the end of last season. That's essentially the answer to Clement's biggest weaknesses going forward.

Ultimately, the Swans are in a much better state than last season and fears of another relegation battle should be slowly fading away.

Don't forget - one of the world's best young prospects is a Jack, after all. The Swans are on the rise again!

Swans can build on Palace win

Swans midfielder Tom Carroll has proclaimed his satisfaction over the 2-0 over Crystal Palace at the weekend. The former Spurs trainee has proclaimed that the victory at Selhurst Park can provide his side with a 'springboard for further success'.

"We knew before kick-off that it was a big game," Carroll stated. "Then after the first-half, when we went in 1-0 up, we felt we had a big opportunity of taking the three points.

"When you look at things now, especially after our cup win in midweek, it’s been a good start to the season," he said.

Swansea looked very comfortable on Saturday afternoon, now earning four points from three considerably difficult Premier League fixtures. Carroll believes that the season has begun quite well, and all things considered, we wholeheartedly agree.

With several days still left to complete business, the Swans and Paul Clement must ensure they hold onto assets like Fernando Llorente and look to strengthen where possible. Moves for Santiago Arias, Nacer Chadli and Wilfried Bony have been touted, and those signings would boost key areas in the squad.

Carroll and I seemingly agree that it is vital that the Swans now build on the points they picked up at Southampton and Crystal Palace after the international break to avoid another relegation battle.

"We showed [today] what we can do. It was a positive result and I firmly believe we can push on from this now," he added.

Crystal Palace v Swans Preview (26/8/17)

Last Saturday? Nope, I don't remember anything of note happening. Absolutely nothing.

It's all about this Saturday. The Swans travel to lovely Croydon once again to face Crystal Palace. It's been a place of reasonable joy for the last few years for the Jack Army. Two wins out of four and just one loss with nothing on the line back in 2015.

Last season's two games against Palace saw 12 goals fired in - 7 of them from the Swans! The 5-4 epic under Bob Bradley was probably the most exhilarating game since the Premier League return, while the 2-1 smash and grab under Clement saw the absolute top boy Angel Rangel bag a late winner and create scenes in the away end.

Same again this season would go down a treat. Fernando Llorente came off the bench to terrorise Alan Pardew's lot at the Liberty last season and he could be back for the weekend. A potent lack of goal threat has been obvious in the first two games and, even though confidence is higher from midweek's EFL Cup cracker, the Spanish international would boost attacking credentials.

Kyle Bartley and Ki-Sung Yueng are missing for the Swans, though their significance is nothing compared to Palace missing influential winger Wilfried Zaha and centre back Jairo Riedewald. New £16.5m signing Sam Clucas could feature in the Swans side and his energy and workrate will breathe new life into a lifeless midfield. Roque Mesa looked pretty bright on his debut and should start again here, though he has a lot more to offer.

Palace have operated with three at the back under new boss Frank de Boer and haven't looked entirely comfortable, creating nothing against Liverpool and looking vulnerable in their loss to Huddersfield. Swans will likely revert to four at the back at the Selhurst Park.

Both sides have yet to score in the league this season, but the 15th place and 18th place sides will know that this is a huge opportunity here. Swans record against Palace bodes well, while Clement has had time to adapt and learn how to take points in crucial games - de Boer hasn't yet.

The backline will get flak for letting in three late goals against Man United (fine, we're accepting that it happened), but it was pretty tight before the subs were made and the capitulation took place. Swans have four wins out of the last six competitive matches and only conceded two in the five that weren't against Man United...

The 16/5 for the Jack Army to take the three points here is top when you consider Huddersfield's efforts here. A repeat of the 2-1 win from last season is 16/1 with Winner Sports - why not eh?

Swansea target Sam Clucas close to Premier League switch

Hull City midfielder Sam Clucas is on the brink of signing for a Premier League club, his manager Leonid Slutsky confirmed.

Clucas asked to be left out of the Hull squad for their 2-1 Championship defeat to QPR on Saturday as he closes in on a return to the top-flight.

Swansea are believed to be one of the frontrunners for his signature, but reportedly face stiff competition from Burnley, who have had two bids rejected.

"Clucas is preparing to play for another club," Slutsky told reporters after his side's loss to QPR. "I think a deal has been agreed.

"It was his decision not to play, but in the next days, I think a deal will be announced. It is a Premier League club. I think it is a decision made all together but it was his as well."

Swans manager Paul Clement is understood to have funds available to him, especially following the £40m gained from Gylfi Sigurdsson's departure to Everton, and admitted that he needs to add quality to his squad in order to avoid a relegation scrap. 

"The moment Gylfi's going you know you need to do that. Without him, [Fernando] Llorente and Ki [Sung-yueng], when they're out, we are weaker," he said.

"We still have a good squad, but we absolutely need more quality players to come in so we have a chance of being competitive this year.

"The situation is very fluid at the moments: texts, emails and telephone calls are going back and forth between various parties. We hope by the deadline - and someone asked me would it be before Crystal Palace [on 26 August] - but as soon as we can do it the better.

Paul Clement drawing positives despite being swept away by ruthless United

Swansea City manager Paul Clement insists that the scoreline did not fully reflect the story as he watched his side go down 4-0 to Manchester United.

A late blitz of goals from United made the game look thoroughly one-sided, but for long stretches, while the score was still 1-0, Swansea conducted themselves admirably.

“We were competitive for long periods of the game – right up until the second goal,” Clement said.“The difference between the sides for a long time was a set-play. Although we had to defend more than they did, I thought our shape was good and we didn’t let them have any real clear-cut chances.

“We are disappointed about the way we defended the set-play. We have a really good record defending set-plays – we only conceded one after I came in last season – so to concede in that fashion was disappointing.

“But there were enough good things in the first half for me to say at half-time that we were still very much in the game and must not let our confidence get affected.

“That was the case right up until the second goal.

“Whereas last week at Southampton I was more disappointed with the performance than the result, today I am more disappointed with the result rather than some of the things we did.

“I think the supporters felt that way too. I think they were happy with some of the things they saw up until the second goal.”

However, Clement admitted that his side could have done more to prevent their late capitulation as United ran away with it thanks to a quick-fire triple from Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial.

I don’t want to be a coach who is happy losing 1-0, so I made some offensive changes,” Clement added.

“But the second goal we gave them was a gift. We missed a couple of tackles in midfield and then we were out of position at the back and they punished us.

“The third goal was a loose pass. They are so strong on the counter and they showed it again.

“The first goal is always important in this league. Jose (Mourinho) has shown over the years that when his team go 1-0 up, they manage games so well.

“They know the other team will have to come out and in the end they punished us.”

Paul Clement admits Swansea need quality after United defeat

Swansea City manager Paul Clement was under no illusion following his side's 4-0 defeat to Manchester United, admitting that the club 'absolutely need to sign quality players.'

A late flurry of United goals heaped the misery on the Welsh club at the end of a week which has seen them one of their finest-ever players, Gylfi Sigurdsson, depart for Everton.

Without the Icelandic playmaker's craft and guile, Swansea struggled to create. They are also still missing last season's top-scorer Fernando Llorente, who is still injured, and Clement admitted that he needs to sign players.

“We absolutely need more quality players to come in, so we have a chance of being competitive this year,” Clement said.

“The sooner we can do it the better. It could go later in the window but the necessity is there. It’s clear.

“We were competitive for long periods of the game. Up until the second goal the difference was a set-play and generally, the shape was good.

“I made some offensive changes because I don’t want to be a coach happy to lose 1-0 at home, but we ended up playing to their strengths and they punished us.”

“Today I’m more disappointed with the result than some of things I’ve seen. I was happy with some of the things defensively, not so happy offensively.

“We went a goal down and tried to do something about it but we got punished and it’s hard to take.”

Next up for Swansea is an EFL Cup tie against MK Dons before travelling to Selhurst Park next week to face Crystal Palace, who have opened their season with two straight defeats.